http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/blog.php en Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:20 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/images/_bom/misc/rss.jpg http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/blog.php http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/blog.php?b=297 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:51:56 GMT Had a long chat with my mother yesterday, Grandma is thoroughly miserable and has been in tears most of the time. Some quite good news though is that... Had a long chat with my mother yesterday, Grandma is thoroughly miserable and has been in tears most of the time. Some quite good news though is that if Grandad manages to get through the next ten days of his treatment without needing too much assistance he can visit home for a couple of days. Literally that long though, they are having to apply chemo treatment directly into his heart. The line has already become infected once and they had to remove it, he has to have an operation to replace it before that can continue treating him, but the chemo has shot his immune system so any antibiotics they give him barely help, there's not much they can do for them.

Also checked out a guy on ebay who deals with powered chairs and I can get one I need for around £6k which my mother will help me save up for but has to wait until the new year, which is fine, I don't exactly have many lessons left in December.

Kev has also put in for a transfer to a store in the South which he may get next year at the soonest - which means someone can help me even if I can't get a chair in a timeframe that allows me to get one before the next uni term or even in the next year. I will take such a long time to get that amount money, my parents can barely get by on their current income, Kev and I have limited income to put towards extra things beyond our homes (and LARP in Kevs case. He's buying my tickets for next year so I need to save enough for those events as well.) It's bad enough I can't get around without being cooped at home without going out anywhere, I don't go out drinking, I don't meet up with friends anymore, £150 each, four times a year, it is a lot but it gives me something to look forward to, even if I only manage one or two of the events.

I have got the cheapest phone and internet arranged at my flat, I keep my bills low, I don't buy much food (Which is really annoying when you just fancy a snack :lol:) I am buying no more hobby stuff in 2010 outside of what I get vouchers for and bought for me.

So for roughly £50 a month I don't see why I should bad for still planning to go LARPing when I know most the people I know spend a lot more going out drinking, or on takeaways or just spending it with friends. ]]> 8people http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/blog.php?b=297 http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/blog.php?b=295 Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:03:00 GMT I finally sucked it up yesterday and looked into getting an electric. Signed up for a newsletter on one site so I get information on offers, new... I finally sucked it up yesterday and looked into getting an electric. Signed up for a newsletter on one site so I get information on offers, new products and information on an all terrain variation as it gets developed.

This is going to cost me a fortune!

The cheapest chair I've found so far that would be suitable is still over £900 and realistically I need one before next term starts.

My DLA (Disability Living Allowance) should be used for things like this but it currently goes into my mothers account to pay for her petrol. I don't exactly get much either from it. I can barely afford to live in my flat at the moment either so savings will take a very long time.

Last option I really have left is to set up the Access To Learning thing that university does to provide extra money and use that purely to save up.

Now £900+ is for a basic option that goes very slowly, is pretty much usable on straights only. It finds hills a struggle and I wouldn't be able to take it to LARP or go anywhere in the country without damaging it, possibly irrepairibly :rolleyes:

I've started making inquiries on all-terrain powered wheelchairs. With a lot of the kerbs and pavements in Southampton with a normal chair I would still need help getting up kerbs or having to get up and pull the chair myself which some days I can't even manage in the manual chair. I'd have to take the manual chair to LARP which means I have to wait, sometimes for hours at a time, for Kev if I want to get food or go back to the tent. It's tiring being limited and I'd pay pretty much anything to feel like I've got some more of my freedom back. ]]> 8people http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/blog.php?b=295 http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/blog.php?b=294 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:04:00 GMT I got the last models required for my 5k army. I'm currently going through and admiring every single model I have bought.

I think I may have found one I'm going to enjoy thoroughly, she is from the Brettonian range but is the only really appropriate pre-built model for a spellsinger on a unicorn. She is the Fay Enchantress model, the woman who is the representative of The Lady of the Lake and holds great authority over Brettonians. (Popular theory is that she actually is an Asrai anyway!)

Here she is:


I'm going to convert her a little. Using Dryad parts I'm going to alter the sword and chalice, filing them down so I can glue in some little Spites from the sprues so she looks like she's cradling little forest spirits and holding one at eye level, might make a little one talking with her, perhaps pointing and looking grumpy and being handled in such a manner :) ]]> 8people http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/blog.php?b=294 http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/blog.php?b=292 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:07:56 GMT Am packed for Solihull again and with a depressing realisation: I have to pack eight strips of tablets whenever I go away somewhere. Have been... Am packed for Solihull again and with a depressing realisation: I have to pack eight strips of tablets whenever I go away somewhere.

Have been having a pretty rough few nights so Kev is having to come and collect me, but he still has work so I have to go to his home.

My shoulders have finally dislocated to the point I'm having to return them to their usual positions. I woke up at 4am two nights ago with my shoulder out of socket. It was so painful putting it back in that it actually made me sick :o Since then I've been unable to lie flat and am having to prop myself near-sitting with three pillows to take pressure off it. At the same time my hips are playing up to sitting upright is also painful...

Last night in the space of three hours I woke up three times, first time my shoulderblade was lying nice and flat against the pillows, unfortunately the rest of me was lying on my side, so I had to sort that out, I then tried to turn myself but there was a horrible grinding in my hip and a crunch that exploded into pain. Am still having trouble today so I think I might have damaged the cartilage a little, felt snappy :( then after dropping off finally I had a series of terrible dreams that left me in a complete state and once more making me quite ill. Which was even more uncomfortable as I hadn't eaten that day

Ended up making myself a hot chocolate and praying for half an hour which helped greatly, cleared my head and helped me settle down for the night.

With my problems getting this bad though it's beginning to look like I will have to leave university and either move in with Kev or with my parents. The last thing I want is to move back in with my parents and just drop everything I'm working towards. I don't want to end up just another unemployable cripple stuck living in a situation I hate. I want to be able to complete my course, Kev is looking to move South soon when he manages to obtain a transfer within work, I just have to cope long enough to get to a point we can be together. I'm just not sure I'm physically capable. ]]> 8people http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/blog.php?b=292 http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/blog.php?b=293 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:08:00 GMT Repeat the topic thrice when drunk, randomly in public. Not for any particular reason other than it would be funny to watch. Am looking with vague... Repeat the topic thrice when drunk, randomly in public. Not for any particular reason other than it would be funny to watch.

Am looking with vague deliberation over some NPCs I've had planned along with looking over some mods for ideas on unusual coding (I find it easier to think of something new by looking at what is already done :)) and looking over the mods such as Xan and Kivan has got me thinking, because the more popular NPCs in BG2 are the ones that originally appeared in BG1.

Am going to start looking into what variables are picked up when you start the game with an imported character, I know if you have the golden pantaloons in your inventory they are hidden in Irenicus' Dungeon so you can still pick them up, but is it possible to see who was in your party at the end, or who you met on your journey? I'm not thinking of replacing Jaheira and Minsc in their cells in BG2 but perhaps there could be companions in other cells, or you hear news of their escape, capture, death or new adventures. Even maybe meet up with them and have them join you if you seek them out.

Guess it could be worth attempting at some point anyway, just to see how/if it works :) ]]> 8people http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/blog.php?b=293 http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/blog.php?b=291 Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:56:00 GMT Has anybody played this game?

It's fairly new and exceptionally pretty, I've had a fair bit of fun with it but one of the early levels I'm having some serious trouble with. Dragons keep attacking me! Seems a little harsh for the fourth level of the game :lol:

You take the role of the last remaining heir to the throne after the previous king summoned a demon lord to prove his worth and earn the mantle of greatness so his portrait could hang in the halls of the palace, his ancestors defeated all the old dragons, great and wonderous beasts to prove their worth and earn their prestigious titles, but he had nothing left to fight.

As he had no experience and little practice the demon slew the king and claimed the throne, slaying all the regional princes and nobility who challenged him to a duel.

A royal advisor with a rather pronounced voice comes knocking on your door to train you to take the place of your heritage.

The game is full of subtle humour and implied stupidity that is quite fun to listen through the rambling preamble of each level and the cutscenes are attractive and lighthearted. It is a challenge to play and quite delightful in its manner, I have not played the original Majesty so have no idea how it compares unfortunately ]]> 8people http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/blog.php?b=291 http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/blog.php?b=290 Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:45:04 GMT Am currently having epic level trouble patching and modding games now I have installed all four programs for the BG Trilogy and am attempting to... Am currently having epic level trouble patching and modding games now I have installed all four programs for the BG Trilogy and am attempting to patch TotSC, get about three errors and it closes. May have to hunt down the patch I have on CD and see if I have better luck with that. Also seems Firefox doesn't appreciate downloading .exe files and screws them up in interesting fashions. ]]> 8people http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/blog.php?b=290 http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/blog.php?b=289 Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:11:34 GMT Book 2 – Son of Khyber, by Keith Baker

If you followed the development of the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons in the past several years, you probably know the name Keith Baker. In 2002, he won a contest in which D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast sought for a new original RPG setting. In 2004, the new Eberron Campaign Setting was published and since then spawned several other related books.

Of course, WotC expanded on this new and relatively successful setting with starting a novel line. There are some 20 novels on the market to date, and the line continues. Naturally, the setting's creator was asked to contribute. Baker's first trilogy – The Dreaming Dark – was well received by the fans, as his writing got better with each book. In 2008, Baker started a new series called Thorn of Breland, of which Son of Khyber is the second book.

The trilogy centers on Nyrielle Tam, also known as Thorn. She is an agent of the Dark Lanterns, the secret service of the nation of Breland. As the situation between the various nations of the continent of Khorvaire is pretty volatile (the Last War ended just a few years ago), her assignments are usually very dangerous. Recently. Thorn developed a reputation for finishing such missions to the full satisfaction of her superiors. But she also did not remain unscathed, both bodily and emotionally. In one mission, she not only lost her lover. The explosion that he triggered left two magically imbued crystals embedded in her spine. They are a constant reminder of her loss and cause her considerable pain. Also, Thorn seems to have developed a new set of abilities after this incident. They frighten her, as she can barely control them.

In Son of Khyber, Thorn's task is to infiltrate a criminal organization called House Tarkanan. It is an unusual gang, because it's members all bear so-called Aberrant Dragonmarks. These marks look like tattoos, but develop on their own and give their owners an array of magical powers. The origins of this organization lies in the War of the Mark, a conflict fought hundreds of years ago.* House Tarkanan has a new leader, the Son of Khyber, who supposedly is very charismatic and changed the outlook of the organization.

Thorn manages to gain access to the House and meets the Son of Khyber. She know has to determine whether he is a genuine threat to her nation and if she has to kill him. Or are his motives related to her personal struggles and will she abandon her mission?

Keith Baker uses Thorn as the lone focus of his book; he has no other protagonist. The result is a pretty personal story, in which Thorns internal struggles with her mission, her constant pain, and her identity are the main issue. Baker describes them convincingly and keeps them in relation to the world he created.

Thematically, the book (as the world) uses both pulpy and noir themes, as well as the typical fantasy standards mixed with quite a bit of something that can only be described as magipunk. (That's like Steampunk, only with magic instead of steam power.) There is no black or white, only shades of grey. Every being has it's own motives and is ready to backstab others to gain what they want. Corruption is wide-spread.

Son of Khyber certainly is not a great book. But it is good read nonetheless. Baker knows how to write an engaging story and characters you can relate too. If you like the fantasy genre, this book is an enjoyable, albeit short read. But if you like it, you can always buy or lend others of Baker's Eberron novels. (Rich Wulf and Don Bassingthwaite are also very good writers.)






*There are two kinds of Dragonmarks. The regular ones look always the same (blue and green lines in various sizes) and give their owners powers that can be used to heal, repair, defend themselves, and other useful stuff. The Aberrant Marks are more destructive and often come with deformations. They are also unpredictable in what powers they grant. In the past, the bearers of the regular Marks banded together according to the powers the Marks gave them. These 'families' became economic powerhouses that dominate the economy on Khorvaire. The War of the Mark started when the Dragonmarked Houses began to see the Aberrants as a danger. The latter were defamed and hunted, until a General Halas Tarkanan organized them. But the Dragonmarked Houses had the support of the then-unified kingdom of Galifar on their side. When all was lost, Tarkanan and his associates brought down a whole city around them with the combined power of their Marks. ]]> Fabius Maximus http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/blog.php?b=289 http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/blog.php?b=288 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:46:30 GMT I keep forgetting to post to my blog... :doh:

So here's to remembering! :beer: ]]> Kitrax http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/blog.php?b=288 http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/blog.php?b=286 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:03:23 GMT Yesterday after the delightful announcement of PS:T on DVD I skipped merrily to the realms of Amazon and purchased it along with the BG four disk... Yesterday after the delightful announcement of PS:T on DVD I skipped merrily to the realms of Amazon and purchased it along with the BG four disk compilation.

Am installing it now.

Will commence moddage shortly :)

Also how many people associate Amazon with a shopping site compared to a blonde-haired, one breasted hot chick? ]]> 8people http://www.sorcerers.net/forums/blog.php?b=286